In E9, we'll showcase political authors we trust in 2024. So if you want to dive into current issues through the lens of Patriots and want some good book recommends, then give this one a listen!

Sponsors

TheUnforgiftable.com

Lifting With Jesus, by Bryce Napier

References

Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol. The Morgan Library & Museum. (2018, December 3). https://www.themorgan.org/collections/works/dickens/ChristmasCarol

Garner, J. F. (2000). Politically correct holiday stories: For an enlightened yuletide season. CNIB.

IMDb.com. (2017, November 22). The man who invented christmas. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6225520/

Standiford, L. (2017). The man who invented christmas: How Charles Dickens’s a christmas carol rescued his career and revived our Holiday spirits. Broadway Books.

YouTube. (2023, December 11). Andrew Klavan asked Eric Metaxas the question, but what is the answer?. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyfv7h78CAU

Further Reading

Letter To The American Chruch, by Eric Metaxas

The Man Who Invented Christmas, by Les Standiford

Politically Correct Holiday Stories, by James Finn Garner

The Sherlockian, by Graham Moore, mixes modernity and antiquity in mysterious ways. The cover is superb. The story is interesting. I've got my qualms with how the character of Arthur Conan Doyle was handled, but all in all, it's a game of dual detectives that leads you down trails of parallel meta mysteries.

If you're wondering about that video interview with the author I mentioned, you can find it here.

What changes have you had to make personally or implement within an organization? Were they easy to make? In their book, Switch, written in 2010, Chip and Dan Heath take us on a journey with others who have had brilliant ideas on how to successfully implement difficult changes. The book is rich with case studies and data supporting their strategy, and is a quick 264 page read. It has personal and professional implications and the main idea is captured in a fun metaphor! It's a great read!

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Video Pairings

Here is the first one by Matt Wallaert:

https://youtu.be/LYHO_uMo6fQ

The second one is from Travis Bradberry on Emotional Intelligence:

https://youtu.be/auXNnTmhHsk

This one, I recommend the whole video, but starting at 7:20 definitely to discuss creativity (psychological solutions) vs. logical arguments (Nudge theory):

https://youtu.be/uXKilrFGd2U

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Extra Articles

https://www.fastcompany.com/49677/masters-design-robyn-waters

https://www.fastcompany.com/1514493/switch-dont-solve-problems-copy-success

If you like reading A Christmas Carol in December, then you should read Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree in October. In addition to capturing the atmosphere of halloween, Bradbury helps readers look death in the face through the lense of past cultures, while painting a joyous, redemptive, all American portrait of All Hallows’ Eve. While he does offer some candied comfort to the problem of mortality, I wish Bradbury had arrived at the conclusion of “O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Cor 15:55. I’ll take Christ over candy any day!

*Correction - I reference the book Green Shadows, White Whale, but called the wrong name - FYI! Also, if you're a Bradbury fan, you should definitely check out his website at raybradbury.com

What was going through Tolkien's mind before his entry into WWI? What was his experience like in the War? What were his reflections on the war like, and how did it emerge in his writing? We address each of these topics and more in our latest episode on J.R.R. Tolkien.

This episode features Joseph Loconte's, A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18.

We explore Tolkien's life after high school and before entry into WWI in order to better understand his development as the author who'd eventually write The Lord of the Rings.

*CORRECTION - There's a place in this episode when I meant to say, "New Testament," but I said "Old Testament" instead.